Silver streak: Bill Parcells has engineered an improbable transformation in Dallas, but there are weaknesses to overcome if the joy ride is to continue into the payoffs

Sporting News, The, Nov 17, 2003 by Paul Attner

The genius of Parcells, the on-field coach, is to recognize the limitations of his players and fit a system to their skills. The Cowboys understand Carter is not an accomplished quarterback with complete skills. So he is asked to read just half, or a third, of the field on passes. It allows him to make quicker decisions; the goal is to control his mistakes, give him confidence. The Cowboys rely heavily on play-action, which slows the pass rush, decoys the linebackers and buys Carter time. They also benefit from Parcells' creative and vastly underrated play calling. He has a great feel for the game and its management, with multiple formations and tactics tweaked for each opponent.

"The offense is classic Parcells--tough and really simplistic--but they execute and make you beat them," says Bills coach Gregg Williams. "It is his approach: Eliminate mistakes and never give up on the run. Sometimes overloading the mind causes imperfections within the game. You see this thinking with Quincy. They have simplified decision-making in the passing game and let him do things that put stress on a defense."

But Parcells hasn't completely reined in Carter. He still asks him to create big plays by attacking defenses with frequent downfield shots, using the swiftness of receivers Terry Glenn, Antonio Bryant and Joey Galloway. This speed is the strength of the offense, and he emphasizes it by running one-back, three-receiver sets. "Their receivers keep you from loading up more in the box," says Williams. "You can't let these guys run by you." Carter's accuracy varies wildly from game to game--he was 7-for-17 in the second half against Buffalo--so the big-play potential of the three receivers too frequently is underutilized. They also drop too many passes. And Carter gets in trouble when he improvises; it increases his chances of error, the quickest way to set off Parcells.

It would help if running back Troy Hambrick, who fumbles too much and has no burst, was better. Parcells is grouchy about his ground game; he even picked up Adrian Murrell off the street as an alternative to Hambrick. Indeed, it was Murrell, not Hambrick, who was the featured fourth quarter runner last Sunday. The Cowboys still have been effective rushing, though, ranking seventh in the league. When they've had at least 30 carries, they are 7-0. But left guard Larry Allen is struggling with a knee injury, and one NFL scout says without him "that line really declines. It leaves (left tackle) Flozell Adams without help, it could become a huge problem."

For now, Parcells has the balance he needs for the offense to have a chance. "Their offense the last few years had gotten away from being disciplined and hard-core," says Redskins linebacker Jessie Armstead. "But this team is now disciplined, old-school. They do what they are supposed to do, no ad-libbing, and you better defend it honestly, or they will run over you."

Carter is the NFL's comeback player. But his stats (nine touchdowns, nine interceptions, 56 percent accuracy, 74.8 passer rating) are quite average. If he played better, this offense would be much more productive, and because of that, his job security remains in question. Jones says Carter has shown enough "that we aren't in the market for a quarterback--today." The potential for an offensive downfall always is hovering over the team; if the Cowboys are forced to rely too much on the pass, they won't make the playoffs.